Refrigerator-car.



Patented Oct. I0., |899.

No. 634,702. n

Y Y w. J. sHAw.-

BEFRIGERATOR CAB.

(Application tiled Apr. 13. 1899.)

2-Sheets--Sheet l,

cnn Model.)

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Patented Unt. I0, |899.

W. J. SHAW. -RE'FRIGERATOR CAR.

(Applicatioxi led Apr. 13, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

(No Model.)

a. 1 www 2 me Nunms PETERS w. PHQTELLITHD.. wLsv-cmmon, o. e.

i UNIT-ED VSTATES IVILLIAM J. SHAV, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

PATENT OFFICE.

REFRIG ERATOR-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,702, dated October10, 1899,

Application iiled pril Iii, 1899.l

serial No; 712,834. (No model.)

'To all w21/0m it may concern:

Beit known that'I, WILLIAM J SHAW, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of the city of St. Louis and State lof Missouri,have invented a new and useful Refrigerator-Car, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to refrigerator-cars, and has for its principalobject to maintain a proper circulation of air While the car is inmotion.

To this 'end it consists principally in improved arrangements in thesystem of circulation and ventilation.

It also consists in a tension-equalizing device located in theAmechanism for transmitting the motion of the car-axle to the fan.

It also consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinationsof parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, andwherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they oc- Iour, FigureI is a longitudinal vertical section 'of one-half of a car. Fig. II is ahorizontal l section thereof. Fig. III is a detail of thetension-equalizing shaft connected to the caraxle. Fig. IV isavtransverse section of the vbottom of the car, showing thetension-equalizing shaft connected thereto. Figs. V and VI are detailviews of the pulleys mounted "on the car-axle. bearing ofthete'nsion-equalizing shaft. Fig.

Fig. VII is a detail of the VIII is, a V horizontal detail of thedrying- 'chamber and the air-distributing-head. Fig. IX is a verticalcross-section of the air-dryin g chamber, and Fig. Xis a detail of theventilating device above the ice-box.

At each end of the car is an ice-box 1, Whose sides are preferably madeof sheet metal corrugated to secure rigidity, to increase the surfacethereof, and to form flues for the air. The other parts of such lues areformed by the sides or ends of the car or by separate plates arrangedclose kto the ice-box. These iiues communicate above with a chamber opento the outer air or to the upper interior part of the car, as may bedesired,- -and below they open into' a chamber in which isajfan orblower a. The outlet-fine of the fauf'opens into a dryingchamber 5,located, preferably, below the icebox, and this drying-chambercommunicates with a space between the true bottom 6 of the car and aperforated lfalse bottom 7, arranged above the true bottom. When the'fan is in motion, the air is sucked from the space above the ice-.boxdown through the metal flues into the fan-chamber, from which it isforced through the drying-chamber and under the false bottom,whence itrises through the body of the car and either escapes from 'the carthrough ventilators provided therefor or else it passes back into thespace above the ice-box. The air is thus cooled, dried, and circulated.

In order to distribute the l incoming air throughout the car, the truebottom is prol vided with a series of rifle-bars or deflectorplatesextending upwardly therefrom and arranged to practically obstruct thedraft, and thereby deiiect the air up through` the false bottom.Beginning at the end of the car each bar extends higher than the onepreceding it, until at the middle of the car the space between the falseand the true bottom is practically closed. The deflector bars or platesterminate near the medial longitudinal line of the car and are arrangedat an inclination so as to present an obtuse angle to the draft, andthereby deiiect the air tow-ard' the sides of the car. By thisarrangement the air is distributed with some degree of uniformity to allparts of the car. In order to facilitate such distribution, theoutlet-pipe 9 from the drying-chamber is Vconnected to adistributinghead 10, extending across the car under the false bottom andhaving holes in itssides for the escape of the air into the spacebeneath the false bottom.

The fan or blower is driven by the car-axle 11. as follows: The car-axleis provided with a split pulley fixed thereon. At one end the two partsof the pulley are held together by hooked straps 13, countersunlr intheendsof said parts, whereby said pulley can be jammed close againstthe car-Wheel. At the other end said parts are provided with projectingflanges, through Which bolts 14 clamp them iirmly together. Thedriving-belt 15 on the axle-pulley passes over a pulley 16 on atension-equalizing shaft 17, movably mounted on the under side of thebody of the car.

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Another belt 18 transmits. the power-from the equalzing-shaft 17 to acounter-shaft 19,

mounted inside of the. car, and from this counter-shaft the shaft of thefan 4 is driven by means of an ordinary belt.

The journalboxes 2O of the equalizingshaft are not fixed, but arearranged to slide in slotted frames or channel-bars 2l, secured posed toa large surface of the chlorid.

to the car sill or body and curved in a practically circular'arc, whosecenter is the middle of the equalizing-shaft. In each of the frames is acompression-spring 22, arranged to bear against the journal-box, andthereby maintain a proper degree of tension on the belt connected to theoar-axle. When the vcar rounds a curve, however, and the position of theaxle t relative to the car body changes, the springs automatically yieldor expand to relieve the belt from excessive tension or to take up theslack, according as the change of position may require. As thecounter-shaft is above the tension-shaftin a line practicallyperpendicular to the direction of motion of the tension-shaft, thelatter may have a considerable range of movement without materiallychanging the distance between it and the counter-shaft. The necessaryelongation of the belt between said shafts may be provided for by usingan extensible belt. Thus the tension-equalizing shaft accommodatesitself to the varying positions of the caraxle Without affecting thecontinuous vtransmission of motion to the fan.

In practice each end of the'car is preferably furnished with two fansarranged, respectively, to be driven by the car-axle according as thecar is moving in one direction or the opposite. These fans are locatedon opposite sides of the drying-chamber and are connected to separatecountershafts, but using the same equalizing tension-bar. The belts 24inside of the car are properly boxed in and the counter-shafts areinclosed airtight to prevent the admission of dust.

The drying-chamber is preferably located directly below the ice-box andcontains a series of pans or shelves 25, containing chlorid of calciumarranged in vertical series. These shelves or pans extend horizontallyacrossthe chamber exceptfor a short space left at alternate endsthereof, whereby a long tortuous passage is formed through the chamberand the air passing therethrough is eX- The openings from the respectivefans or blowers are located over the top of the drying-chainber and arecovered by hanging shelves 26, which close automatically when the draftthrough them ceases. The pans are preferably removable. So, likewise,the false bottom of the car is made in sections in order to beremovable.

A convenient arrangement for Ventilating the car isshown in Fig. I. Inthis construction the door 27 in the roof of the car above the ice-boxis held partly open by means of a folding prop, which also serves todeflect the exhaust-draft to the outside. This prop consists of two ormore plates or boards 28 29,

hinged together, and the lower one, 29, also hinged to the frameworkbelow the air-fine in the top of the car, such a flue being formed byaperforated false ceiling arranged slightly below the roof of the car. Inthe open position the upper plate 28 rests against a block 30, providedtherefor at the side of the hole in the roof. Below the lower plate ispivoted or hinged a third plate 3l, which is provided with a curvedratchet-bar 32, and a pawl 33 is arranged on the framework to engagethis ratchet. The pawl and the plate to which the ratchet is attachedare both provided with chains for manipulating them. The operation ofthis apparatus is as follows: In the position shown in the drawingsfresh air is sucked in through the top of the car, circulated throughthe car, and when it gets back to the space above the ice-box isdeiiected into the openair bymeans of the plates which prop up the door.When these plates are folded, the door is closed and the air againcirculates, as before. As shown in Fig. X, the plates in their foldedposition are suspended vertically beneath an overhanging shoulder,whereby they are protected from the ice as it drops into said box, anddo not obstruct the draft. To raise these plates, the third plate israised by its chain to the proper height, carrying the others with it,and then the upper prop-plate is unfolded by hand. In loweringtheseplatesthe ratchet is released from the pawl by manipulating its chain,and at the same time the plates are lowered by the other chain.

What I claim isl. Aventilated carcomprisinga perforated false bottomarranged above the true bottom, a distributing-head extending acrosssaid car under said false bottom and having perforations opening intothespace beneath said false bottom, a closed fan-chamber commu` nicatingwith said distributing-head and having an opening near the top of thecar, and a fan in said chamber, substantially as described.

2. A ventilated car comprising a true bottom having riffle-bars thereonand a perforated false bottom arranged above the true bottom, aperforated distributing head extending across said car and communicatingwith the space between said bottoms, a closed vfanchamber in the end ofthe car and communieating with said distributing-head and having anopening near the top of the car, and a fan in said chamber,substantially as described. 1

3. A ventilated car comprising a true bottom having riffie-bars therein,said riffie-bars being arranged in-a series of successively-increasingheight away from the fan-chamber, a 'perforated false bottom arrangedabove the true bottom, a fanohamber in the end of the car andcommunicating with the space between said bottoms and having an openingnear the top of the car, and a fan in said chamber, substantially asdescribed.

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lwith the space above the false ceiling and a device for 'cuttin g oifthe communication between the space beneath the roof and the fanchamber;and opening said space and said chamber to the outer air, and afan insaid chamber, substantially as described.

5. A ventilated car coinprisinga perforated false bottom arranged abovethe true bottom, a perforated false ceiling arranged-below the roof ofthe car, .a fan-chamber communicating with the outlet air iiue or spacebeneath said false bottom and with the space above the lfalse ceiling,and a fan in said chamber, a

hatch-door in the roof and a folding defiectorprop therefor, said propconsisting of broad plates hinged together below the outlet-due' formedby the space above the false ceiling, whereby said prop constitutes adefiector for the incoming and the outgoing air, substantially asdescribed. Y

6. A ventilated car comprising a perforated false bottom arranged abovethe true'bottom,

a perforated false ceiling arranged below the' roof of the car, afan-chamber communicating with the spaces below the false bottom andabove'the yfalse ceiling respectively, a hatchdoor hinged at one endtothe roof of the car, and a prop therefor consisting of a board hingedon one side to the frame of the car b e-i low the due formed between theroof andthe false ceiling and hinged on the opposite side to a secondboard, whereby said prop con-1l stitutes adeflector for the incomingandlthe outgoing air, substantially asdescribed.

V7 A ventilated car comprising a perforated false bottom arranged abovethe true bottom,

a drying-chamber communicating with the space between saidbottoms,fan-chambers car and communicating with said drying chamber, anautomaticallyeacting valve in the connection between each of saidfan-chambers and the drying-chamber, and a fan in each ofsaidfan-chambers, said fans being connected to the car-axle and gearedto run in opposite directions, substantially as described. l

8. A ventilated car comprising a perforated a drying-chambercommunicating with the spacebetween said bottoms, a fan-chamber havingan opening near the top of the car and communicating with saiddrying-chamber, an ice-box having spaces at its sides constituting fluesof the fan-chamber, and a fan in said chamber, substantially asdescribed.

9. In a ventilated car, a Ventilating device consisting of a hatch-doorhinged to the roof of the car and a folding deliector-prop thereforconsisting of a plate hinged to the frame of the car and having a secondplate hinged vto its opposite side, .a third plate pivotally mountedbelow said first-mentioned plate and having also a curved ratchet-bar,and a pawl mounted on the frame to coperate with said ratchet-bar, andmeans for manipulating the same, substantially as described.

10.v In a ventilated car having an outlet-Hue, a Ventilating deviceconsisting of a hatch-door Qhinged to the roof ofthe car, and a foldingdefiector-prop therefor consisting of a board hinged on one side to theframe of the car belowsaidoutlet-flue and a second'board hinged to therst, whereby said prop 'deflects both tially as described. l

v v WILLIAM J. SHAW.V Witnesses? j f f n W. S. SHAW, v WILLIAM P. CARR.

each having an opening near the top of the I false bottom arranged abovethe true bottom,

having means for manipulating the same and c the incoming and theoutgoing air, substany

